5 oddest places to buy holiday gifts

Escape the crowds with these alternative spots to shop

City Hall

You can’t fight City Hall, but you can shop there. In big cities, there are often cool holiday gifts in the same government buildings people visit to pay parking tickets or get marriage licenses. In New York, simply follow the tourists to Manhattan’s Municipal Building or the City Clerk’s Office. The city-run gift shops at these locations have a lot more than just cheesy mugs and “I Heart New York” t-shirts. The stores sell offbeat items like NYPD horseshoes that come with an official certificate of authenticity ($12). Alternatively, food lovers who refuse to eat in a restaurant with “Grade Pending” sanitary inspection signs in the window may get a kick out of CityStore’s exclusive line of “Grade Pending” T-shirts ($18), baby onesies ($18) and fridge magnets ($5). Plus, all sales benefit the city.

— By Quentin Fottrell

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Rest rooms

It’s no secret that more and more holiday shopping is now done online, but apparently many Americans buy loved ones gifts while on the toilet. Some 16% of mobile-device owners do their holiday shopping in the bathroom, according to a 2012 survey by CashStar, a digital gifting company. The survey of 2,000 adults, which was taken by polling company Harris Interactive last month, found that the shop-til-you-plop approach was more prevalent among men than women. “Smartphones and tablets have enabled consumers to shop and gift on the go in more ways and places than ever before,” says David Stone, co-founder and CEO of CashStar. Other odd places consumers have done their online gift-buying, according to the survey: during business meetings and, despite the safety warnings about texting and driving, while stuck in traffic. Video: Where to Do Holiday Shopping? Try the Men’s Room

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Truck stops

Exiting off the holiday high road, some shoppers say they’ve scored some great gifts at truck stops. Al Castellanos, a New York-based musician from Austin, Texas, did all of his holiday shopping last year at a truck stop. He picked up car accessories like Bodum Chambord’s eight-cup coffee press ($40 from GotTruckStop.com), a Bluetooth headset ($80), Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton CDs, and toy stocking stuffers for his nieces and nephews. Loves — a nationwide chain of fueling stations — sells 16-inch Angry Birds cuddly toys ($50) and, fittingly, “Monster Jam” trucks (from $10). There should not be any stigma attached to gift shopping at rest stations, says Ummu Bradley Thomas, founder of the Freddie Bell Jones Modeling & Finishing School in Denton, Md. “Even road maps make a perfect stocking stuffer and learning tool for children,” she says.

Mr. T’s FlavorWare Turbo Oven infomercial / Getty Images

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TV

QVC, Home Shopping Network, and infomercials are often a source of quirky gift ideas too, experts say. QVC’s holiday offers include kitschy Coca-Cola branded products like the Snow-Cone Maker ($34), a three-wheel go-kart ($150) and tricycle ($119). HSN has a range of ceramic salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like sports shirts from pro teams ($15). (Fanatics.com also has a range of actual shirts from NHL, MLB, MBA, NFL and college teams.) Both companies also do a brisk business online. QVC was ranked No. 2 behind Amazon in a recent “Internet Retailer” magazine list of the most popular multicategory mobile shopping sites. Of course, consumers don’t get to handle the products they see on the screen, so experts recommend buying in time to make sure they can be reimbursed before the holidays. Both sites have a 30-day return policy on most items.

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Drug stores

Here’s a prescription for shoppers desperate to avoid the crowds at the mall: Hit the drug store. It may seem odd to buy presents at a place better known for pain-killers, but big chains like Walgreens and CVS are heavily promoting several holiday gift ideas. Their photo departments can personalize everything from sweaters to key chains. For as little as $35, CVS will customize iPhone and Kindle cases with photographs from users’ Facebook or Instagram pages. Walgreens’s photo department likewise does personalized wall décor, calendars, towels, tote bags, calendars and mugs. Customized T-shirts with photographs cost $15. Drug stores are also a good source for cheap cosmetics for teenage girls, says Kerry K. Taylor, creator of frugal-shopping advice site Squawkfox.com. “These are perfect stocking stuffers,” she says. teenagers who remain Beliebers, there’s also “Eau De Parfrum Girlfriend,” a perfume by Justin Bieber for $34.

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